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Assasination of Sarejevo
The Austria-Hungary archduke and his wife were assassinated. The killer was a Serbian who was a member of the Black Hand, a secret society. Austria was outraged and punished Serbia because it was where the killer was from. -
Austria Declares War on Serbia
Austria rejected Serbia’s offer of peace and declared war. This impacted the other countries because Russia, Serbia’s ally, declared war on Austria on the same day. Russia mobilized troops towards Austria. European nations took alarm. This declaration of war started WWI. -
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World War I
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Schlieffen Plan
It was a strategy development where Germany would go to the Western Front, defeat France, and then fight Russia on the Eastern Front. Speed was very important for the Germans. The Schlieffen Plan was Germany's plan to succeed in WWI. -
The First Battle of the Marne
It was a battle on the Western Front in the valley of the Marne River. This was important because Germany lost to the Allies and were driven back 60 miles. It was also one of the first battles of World War I. -
Battle of Limanowa
Austria defeated Russia on the Eastern Front in a 17-day battle. This was important because Austria drove Russia eastward and pushed them out of Austria-Hungary. The Russian army weakened. -
Gallipoli Campaign
It was the effort by the Allies to take the Dardanelles Straight. There were many assaults on the Gallipoli Peninsula. Troops from Turkey defended the region. The Allies gave up in December and about 250,000 were killed. -
Battle of Verdun
Germany launched an attack against France near Verdun. Each side lost more than 300,000 men. It was significant because the countries used new technology to kill huge numbers. -
Battle of the Somme
Britain attacked Germany on the Western Front, in the valley of the Somme River. This was significant because more than 20,000 British soldiers were killed in the first day. After the battle, both sides had over 500,000 casualties, Britain only gained five miles, and Germany gained four. -
Unrestricted Submarine Warfare
Germany announced that their submarines would sink without informing any other ship in the waters near Britain. Before Germany's announcement, a German submarine had sunk the British ship called the Lusitania. The attack left 1,198 people dead, including 128 U.S. citizens. This angered America. -
US enters World War I
The United States joined the Allies after the Zimmermann note was intercepted. It was significant because the Allies had added another country with many troops to support the war, which gave them a greater chance of winning. -
The Russian Revolution
A revolution shook Russia, and Communist leader Vladimir Ilyich Lenin took over Russia. This was significant because he wanted to stop Russia from fighting the war. He wanted to offer a truce to Germany. He eventually did in March 1918. -
The Second Battle of the Marne
The Second Battle of the Marne was a battle in which the Allies defeated Germany. The Allies advanced toward Germany by using 350 tanks smashing through German lines. The Allies also had 2 million American troops help out in the battle. This was important because the Central Powers started to crumble. Bulgaria, the Ottoman Turks, and Austria-Hungary gave up/surrendered. Even the German soldiers mutinied. -
Fighting Nations Sign an Armistice
A representative of Germany met with the French commander of the Allies & signed an armistice. This was significant because it was an agreement to stop fighting, and it ended World War I. -
The Treaty of Versailles
It was a compromise between Germany and the Allied Powers that laid down the rules after the war. It was significant because it placed responsibility for the war on Germany, so they had to pay reparations for the Allies. Germany lost territory and its military was restricted. The League of Nations was created to keep peace among nations.